The Secret of the Letter Yud: The Power to Transform from Soft Wax into a Warrior of Holiness

Lesson No. 186 | Sunday, Parashas Tzav, the eve of 5 Nissan 5759 - National Activists Conference, Election Eve 5759 at the Merkaz Hotel

Moshe Rabbeinu added the letter Yud, which was taken from Sarah Imeinu (our Matriarch), to Yehoshua's name in order to transform him from a person as soft as "wax" into a fearless leader and warrior. This article reveals the secret of Jewish heroism, which empowers everyone to stand against the entire world and transform those who are furthest away into completely righteous people.

In the Torah portions that we are reading, we see that the children of Gad and the children of Reuven are the pioneers who cross over before Hashem. The holy Zohar in Parashas Vayechi states that the souls of this generation will be the souls of the children of Gad and Reuven, who will come to conquer the Land. Today, "conquering the Land" means transforming the dross into angels, transforming those who are furthest away into tzaddikim (righteous individuals).

I have a cousin in Haifa who was a complete heretic. It was impossible to speak a single word of emunah (faith) with him. He was a tank driver, a battalion commander, and he would boast, saying, "One day I will come with all the tanks and run everyone over, let's see what they will do to me." Today, everyone knows him—he walks around with a beard and peyos (sidelocks), travels to Uman, and has become a Breslov Chassid.

From here we see that even the most terrible dross can be transformed. This is exactly as Rabbi Akiva said about his past:

"Who will give me a Torah scholar so that I may bite him like a donkey?"

So too today, many of us were previously like the Rabbi Akiva of the past, and today they are truly like the righteous Rabbi Akiva. The dross must be transformed into angels and holy beings, but this depends entirely on us—if we go out as pioneers before Hashem. We must "tear the arm" (a reference to the tribe of Gad's might), extract the minds of those who are far away from the Sitra Achra (the forces of impurity), and transform them into minds of holiness.

The Secret of the Name Hoshea: Soft as Wax

The Sfas Emes explains that when Moshe Rabbeinu was about to send the spies to the Land of Israel, he saw the terrible Sitra Achra that existed there. He foresaw that ten of the spies would fall spiritually and only two would remain. The Torah says:

"And Moshe called Hoshea the son of Nun, Yehoshua."

Why did Moshe need to change his name? The sefer Karnayim explains a tremendous secret: The name "Hoshea" (הושע) is composed of the same letters as the word "sha'avah" (שעוה - wax). At the beginning of his path, Yehoshua was soft, pleasant, and good like wax.

We find in the Midrash Rabbah on Shir HaShirim that during the time of King Chizkiyahu, there were houses built of wax. Chizkiyahu showed the messengers his "treasure house" (beis nechosah), and the Midrash explains that "nechosah" refers to wax. Chizkiyahu, who was worthy of being Mashiach and only lacked the singing of a song of praise, knew how to build houses out of wax.

So too, Yehoshua was like wax. He was soft, humble, lowering his head and walking with a bowed posture. He was the disciple of Moshe Rabbeinu, about whom it is said, "And the man Moshe was exceedingly humble, more than any person," and a disciple receives twice as much humility from his teacher. People would laugh at him, calling him a fool who only arranges the benches in the Beis Midrash (study hall).

From Wax to a Fearless Warrior

But Moshe Rabbeinu saw that this was a time of war. It is impossible to remain in a state of wax when going out to an offensive war and an obligatory war. Moshe understood that he needed to transform Hoshea from the letters of "sha'avah" (wax) into the greatest warrior in the world, a man of battle who would stand before the entire Jewish nation.

Yehoshua had to stand against ten princes of the tribes, who represented ten-twelfths of the entire nation. Afterward, he had to subdue all seven Canaanite nations, and ultimately even halt the systems of nature and cry out:

"Sun, stand still at Giv'on, and moon, in the valley of Ayalon!"

How does a person who is as soft as wax go out to such a war?

The Letter Yud of Sarah Imeinu

The Sfas Emes reveals the secret: Moshe Rabbeinu added the letter Yud to Yehoshua's name. But how did the smallest letter in the Aleph-Beis transform him into a man of war? From where did Moshe take this letter?

The well-known Midrash relates that when Hashem changed the name of Sarai to Sarah, the letter Yud complained: "Master of the Universe, You are taking me away from Sarah, where will You put me?" Hashem answered her: "In four hundred years, a man will come whose name will be Hoshea; I will take you and give you to him."

What lies within this secret? The Sfas Emes explains: Who were Avraham and Sarah? They were individuals against the entire world. Out of billions of people in the world, only two people stood up who believed in Hashem. Sarah stood with heroism against the entire world, against the wicked Nimrod, and was ready to be thrown into the fiery furnace together with Avraham.

This is the power that Moshe implanted in Yehoshua! He took the letter Yud of Sarah, the power of endurance and self-sacrifice against the entire world, and placed it into Yehoshua.

With this letter Yud, we are fighting today against heresy and the Sitra Achra (forces of impurity). Our war today is not a war of weapons, Heaven forbid, but a war to transform hearts. We go from house to house in order to implant a soul in every Jew, to perform a heart transplant, a brain transplant, and a soul transplant for him.

In the merit of the power of Sarah Imeinu (our Matriarch), we will merit to stand against the entire world, we will merit to say "Sun, stand still at Giv'on," until we bring all of the Jewish people back in teshuvah (repentance) and merit the complete Geulah (Redemption) speedily in our days, Amen.

Lesson No. 186